The Canadian Hindu Community in Halton and Hamilton (H.C.H.H), recently organized its 4th annual Kawad Yatra, a Hindu parade festival celebrated by devotees of Lord Shiva.
The Mayor of Milton, Gordon Krantz and Milton Councillor Rick Di Lorenzo took part in the festivities by performing Hindu rituals along with the devotees at the temple. “The community appreciates Mayor Krantz’s gesture of showcasing a diverse and inclusive society,” a news release by HCHH said.
The streets echoed with chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Bam Bam Bhole’ as devotees wearing “tripundra tilak” took part in the parade. The celebrations concluded with devotees, offering “Jalabhishek” (water offering) to the idol of Shiva, at the famous “Vaishno Devi Temple in Oakville.
“Devotees assembled early morning at 6 a.m, and after quick refreshments, every participant was handed a bottle of holy water which they carried to the temple, without ever letting the bottle touch the ground,” the news release noted.
Kawad Yatra is celebrated in in the northern plains of India during July- August or the Hindu month of Shravan. Devotees carry holy water from river Ganga on their shoulders with a bamboo stick and offer it to Lord Shiva at one of the 12 sacred shrines.
